Tech Data Lays Off 3 Percent Of U.S. Workforce

The layoffs occurred in the distributor's sales, marketing, operations, finance and IT divisions, with the affected employees located in the company's Clearwater headquarters, field offices and logistics centers, said Lawrence Hamilton, senior vice president of human resources at Tech Data.

"This reduction is a direct response to the poor economy we're still experiencing in the United States," Hamilton said. "I think we've done a good job aligning costs the last four quarters, but as our new fiscal year began [on Feb. 3], we wanted to make sure we are able to stay competitive."

Tech Data now employs about 2,800 people in the United States, about 1,950 of whom are based in Clearwater.

"It's obviously a very difficult day. We're at the point now of eliminating some very good people," Hamilton said.

The layoffs represent one of Tech Data's largest workforce reductions since December 2001, when the distributor laid off about 160 people, or 5 percent of its U.S. employees. Last May, Tech Data laid off about 30 people in its education and logistics divisions.